Yet If Hope Has Flown Away
by NejiHina100
Summary: Alma's brother, Caul, was there the night Abe Portman died. It was he who invaded Miss Avocet's loop and arrives at Miss Peregrine's home with Jake as his hostage. Alma is willing to do anything to protect her children, even if it means facing her brother once more. How far will the children go to save their headmistress? And will they make it in time? Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

MOVIEVERSE: Barron does not exist. It is Alma's brother Caul who invades Avocet's loop and comes to the home with Jake as his hostage. I quickly altered a few scenes to help explain and catch up to the story rather than jumping into the fray. Afterwards it will start to get more in-depth. I hope it's good.

* * *

Jake found Miss Peregrine in the kitchen, tending to the bird that flew into the cave last night. It was injured and she was helping it heal, offering drops of water to its beak.

"Emma said it was an ymbryne." Jake said.

The headmistress looked up. " _She_ , Jake. All ymbrynes are female. And Emma was quite right. This is Miss Avocet."

"Her loop's in Blackpool." He said, pulling out the letter his grandfather sent to the home.

Miss Peregrine turned her head up towards him. She looked both shocked and disappointed.

"That was a private letter Jake." She said, putting down the dropper.

Jake hesitated. He didn't want to upset her, but he needed to know. "Miss Peregrine, who's Caul?"

Her reaction wasn't what he was expecting. After her comment of the letter being private, he could tell she wasn't happy with him, so he expected her to yell. Maybe. But she looked away with wide eyes. Suddenly it was as if she was there and at the same time gone, somewhere else.

"Miss Peregrine? Who is he?"

She stood up and snatched the letter from his hand, Miss Avocet still cradled in the crook of her other arm. "Unless it is essential Jake, I do not discuss unpleasant matters. An ymbryne's duty is to protect children."

"I'm not a child. And my grandfather wanted you to tell me everything. If this man killed my grandfather, I need to know. I need to tell the police."

"I assure you Mr. Portman, that this man did not kill your grandfather. And the police can do absolutely nothing."

She walked away before he could get in another word.

* * *

"Emma, who was it that killed Victor?"

Emma sighed. "I told you to stop asking questions."

Jake was joining the children for their daily walk. He didn't ask why they did so everyday. He was thinking about what Miss Peregrine _wasn't_ telling him.

"Emma, my grandfather wanted Miss Peregrine to tell me everything. If she won't, why can't you?"

"Because Miss Peregrine forbid us to talk about it. Happy?"

No, he wasn't. Why couldn't anyone understand? He held his grandfather's hand as the man died, leaving him with only questions and riddles. He's been through a lot and he needed answers. Answers he was told Miss Peregrine would give him, yet she refused. It pissed him off. She invited him into her home, the same home his grandfather lived in during his youth, and yet she left him with even more questions than his grandfather had. And now the girl he hoped was his friend refused to help him. Why?

He grabbed her hand, stopping her as the others continued to walk.

"Emma, please." He begged.

She looked at him with those ever big eyes and let out another sigh. "Fine, but you have to promise that you won't let Miss Peregrine know that you know. If she found out that you knew it wouldn't be hard for her to figure out that I told you. So just keep it a secret. Alright?"

Jake nodded.

* * *

"What is all this?" He asked.

Emma had brought out a large box from its hiding place and set it on the sunken ship's table.

"This is all the information your grandfather gathered before he retired. He told me to hide it somewhere safe."

"What's in it?"

She opened the box and Jake went over to stand by her, looking through all the photos and papers.

"Who are all these people?"

"Bad people, Jake. Bad peculiars."

He flipped through each photo until he came across a man that looked quite familiar. "Who's this?"

Emma peeked over to the photo. "That's Caul. Miss Peregrine's brother."

Jake's head shot up, staring at her with wide eyes. "Her brother?"

"She actually has two."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Jake didn't blame her. All he wanted was answers to why his grandfather was murdered. He didn't need to know personal family history of the headmistress.

"Everyone has a black sheep in their family, right?"

Jake nodded.

"Caul is the black sheep of Miss Peregrine's family."

"Well I would say I'm the black sheep of my family, but that doesn't make me bad."

"No." She said. "But hunting down peculiars for their eyes and searching for immortality, killing anyone who stands against you, might."

"I saw him that night. Did he kill my grandfather?" He asked, not realizing what she just said.

Emma shook her head. "No. I don't think so. But if I show you the rest, you have to promise not to run away."

* * *

Miss Peregrine took another breath from her pipe, blowing clouds of smoke around her. She was quite for the last minute or two as Emma left to get her book. It seemed Jake and Abe had the same qualities. With the exception of seeing the monsters, they were both persistent. Annoying Caul would have called them.

"We call them Hollowgast. Hollows for short."

"Did that monster kill my grandfather?" Jake asked.

"Not that particular monster you saw, no. It would have already been dead in your time. Emma, I will later discuss to you the importance of your daily walk." Miss Peregrine looked over to the young girl who had returned. Knowing she was in trouble, Emma apologetically handing the book her headmistress sent her to retrieve.

"Thank you." Miss Peregrine sat down next to Jake and opened the book.

She went on to explain the history of the peculiars, why the monsters existed, and after some hesitation, how they were created.

"Caul created the monsters?"

Miss Peregrine sighed. "Yes. He was searching for immortality but instead all he found was a hollow version of himself. It only made him more furious and determined."

Olive came rushing into the room. "Miss Peregrine, come quick! Miss Avocet's awake."

Jake and the girls joined the others in the sun room where Miss Avocet was talking about her escape from the Hollow that attacked her loop.

"Oh, Miss Peregrine. They found it. They found my new loop. All my children. They're gone." She cried, leaning into a hug the headmistress wrapped her in.

"I'm so sorry. You're safe now."

"No, none of us are safe." Miss Avocet said, leaning back to look the peregrine falcon woman in the eyes. " _He's_ coming."

There was a silence in the room. A dark lull. Jake could see the children watching their headmistress carefully. Now he understood.

"Miss Peregrine, what do we do?" Emma asked.

Miss Peregrine stood up and walked to the window, quickly calculating every possible solution while Miss Avocet went on to explain the rest of what was happening.

"They set the machine up in my loop. In the cellar of the Blackpool tower."

"He still wants to be immortal." Enoch added.

Seconds ticked away until Miss Peregrine turned to face the others. Though he had not known her that long or even knew her as well as the others, it was clear to Jake that she was scared. The same woman he had seen walk up to a cliff with the pose of seer determination to protect her home and kill an invisible monster with one shot. And that made Jake scared.

 _And I thought my life sucked growing up. But to have a brother like Caul? What did she go through?_ He wondered.

"I'm afraid we can't stay children. We will leave on the ferry the first thing in the morning. Pack only the essentials, a few sandwiches and it's off to bed."

Everyone rushed to gathered their most important belongs. The twins had their masks, Claire had her doll, Fiona brought some seeds for food later, and Enoch made sure to pack some hearts.

"I can't forget my calendar. Can you grab it from the parlor Miss Avocet?"

Miss Peregrine closed the last suitcase with the help of twins. Once she knew it was secure she sent them off to help the others. She stood up and quickly thought over everything in the house making sure she didn't forget anything of uppermost importance. At that time the doorbell rang.

* * *

Alma knew she should be scared. With the prospect of a wight _and_ a hollow coming to her home, she should be frightened. But Alma was a very precise and organized woman. She didn't like change. No ymbryne did. So she was already calculating the solution needed to defend her home, protect her children, and defeat their enemy. Her mind was too busy moving in every direction to even focus on being afraid.

But then the doorbell rang, and the discussion of her brother she had only moments ago resurfaced in her mind. Miss Avocet had said that he was coming. She didn't need to give a name. The emphasis on the noun was clear enough. A wight and a hollow was coming to her home, along with her brother. The doorbell rang again. The wight was her brother. She didn't need to open the door to see it. The utter dread that found its way into her stomach told her.

A third ring. She carefully made her way to the entrance, nervous the door would be blown to bits if she didn't answer it soon. No doubt their visitor was already upset at her lack of quick response. She opened the door and let out a gasp. Her green eyes found white.

"Hello Alma." Caul grinned. It made her sick. His razor-sharp teeth baring white in the night as he held Jake hostage by a knife just as sharp. "May I come in?"

She glared at her brother. Her eyes becoming narrow like a falcon watching its prey. She was watching. She was watching every single move her brother made as he made his way into her home. _Her_ home. Where she watched and cared over her children for many years. Nurturing and protecting them from the dark cruelties of the world. Cruelties her brother stood for. Cruelties her brother _was_.

Once he was fully inside and the door was closed, still grinning, he looked up behind her. "Children, come down here."

How dare he! How dare he think he can order her children like one of his hollows.

"I give the orders in this house…Caul."

He looked at her. It was clear he had not expected her to call him by his name. Doing so would claim him as her brother. But he had called her by her name, so perhaps he still saw her as his sister. As family. Did that mean something? She doubted it. All he has ever done was torture her. Why would now be any different when it was in plain view of her children.

"Not today. You should know that Jake has served his purpose." He looked at Jake before turning his sickening plastered grin back towards her. "I finally found you. Now if you want everyone to live, you will do as you're told. Children!"

"Shush!" She held up a finger. "No one tells my children what to do." That included her brother. She turned her back to her brother, looking up at her children. She tried to look as soft and caring as she could, despite the fear in her bones, hoping it would comfort her children in some way. She saw the fear in their wide eyes and was sure some of them were trying to breath calmly. She didn't blame them. She was starting to lose her breath. She had not only turned her back on a wight, but her brother. A man who would stab her in the back, quite literally, if it made him happy. But despite the weight of that knowledge that made her limbs heavy and making it hard to move, she knew it delighted him more to torture her while she was alive. She was safe. For now.

"Children, come down here please."

Her children started to slowly make their way down the stairs. Her brother began to speak but she quickly jerked attention back to him and told him to be quiet. She was surprised he listened. Perhaps he wanted to watch her in her natural environment. It made her sick. She wasn't some bird in a cage to be gawked at, but she had not missed the cage her brother set down on the small table in the corner. She knew exactly what he wanted.

Alma explained to her children what the plan was. She was to take bird form while her brother took her to his rendezvous in Blackpool. They were to hide in the parlor. She told them it was for their safety, and while that was true, she knew her brother would fear an attack if Jake was let go and they were not locked away. He was clever. It ran in the family. Enoch objected the idea but she heard Horace quickly explain, low enough for Caul to not be able to hear what Jake could do. While Alma and her brother could both turn into birds, that was as far as Caul's bird characteristics got. In human form she had falcon-like hearing, sight, and smell where her brother did not. It was how she was able to hear clearly what Horace whispered. How she was able to hear and smell the hollow that arrived daily at four before she could even see its shadow or movement in the grass.

One by one her children entered the parlor. Miss Peregrine walked closer to the door, placing herself between her children and her brother. She looked at each one of them, remembering the days where their lives weren't threatened and everyone was happy. Before she realized it she was saying goodbye and closed the door.

She looked back at her brother, showing no emotion but determination to free Jake. She wouldn't show her brother any fear, pain, or sadness, but the glint of a tear on her cheek betrayed her. He grinned.

"Now let him go." She said.

Caul slowly moved away from Jake, his knife nearly cutting the boy's skin. He stepped over to the cage and opened the door. Now her breath was gone. Birds were meant to be free and she was definitely a free spirit. She wasn't meant to be caged.

She walked up to Jake, holding her hands up in hopes that she could gain some sort of control over her fear.

"Jake, promise me…promise me that you will try and look after them." Her voice cracked.

"I promise."

That was all she needed to hear. She stepped back, willing her transformation, and soon found herself in the most horrifying place she could ever imagine. In a cage, at the mercy of her brother.

* * *

For some reason I am fascinated by the relationship of Miss Peregrine and her brother. After hearing what kind of brother Caul was in LOS and then knowing how strong of a woman Miss Peregrine is (especially played by Eva Green), it makes me wondered what all she had been through because of her brother. What has she suffered to become the woman she is today? She is so strong, independent, and near fearless. A person like that doesn't happen without something to fight against. The plot will change in the next chapter. Now we're going to focus on Alma as the main character but we're still going to see the part Jake and the children play. We're going to see what they will do to save their headmistress and we're going to see what Alma goes through during her imprisonment. Also inspired by the very last scene of Miss Peregrine on the red tower of Blackpool, where she is rubbing her arm. My question is what happened? We know in the movie she was injured but we never saw it. And that bothers me. After all, she was able to easily fly away from Barron, even after attacking him. How would she be able to do that if she her arm, her wing, was injured?

Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Alma couldn't breath. Despite the cage have plenty of large holes that allowed the bird to survive more than well enough, she found herself suffocating under the realization of what occurred. She tried to calm herself, thinking over the logical aspects of the situation. But they were very few. Caul had thrown Jake in the parlor with the other children before leaving with her on Emma's boat to Blackpool. While she should feel safe that Jake could give her children a fighting chance since it was he alone who could see the monsters, that provided her very little comfort. She knew that with the exception of fighting off the hollow they had to escape the reset. She wasn't there. And despite her deep wishes ymbrynes couldn't reset each others loops. Only Miss Peregrine knew the exact time down to the second when to reset her loop. Neither Miss Avocet or her children knew. And even if they did, they didn't have her peculiarity to turn back the time.

 _Please have escaped. Please do not come after me. Please…run._

She knew it was foolish to think those thoughts. Not only because they couldn't reach her children no matter how strongly she willed them, but knowing her children they would fight for her. She taught them to look after each other no matter what. They were family, even if not biological. And she had seen the look in Emma's and Enoch's eyes. They swore to get her back. And if Jake was anything like his grandfather, which Alma knew he was, he would come rescue her as well.

Without warning a chill ran down her spine. It wasn't because of the sea breeze either. Her loop was closed. She could feel it.

"No doubt your children are already dead by now." Caul said. "With you gone they can't reset the loop. Wasn't a bomb suppose to destroy your house today?"

He laughed. She screeched as she tried to bit against the cage railings. He just looked at her with a smug expression.

"Try all you will, I'm not letting you out. I can't have you escaping."

Miss Peregrine sent a glare his way but it only amused him.

"You actually look cute as a bird when you're angry. Maybe I'll make you my pet." He smiled.

* * *

"We're sorry Jake." Fiona said as he pulled Emma from the sky. "What now?"

"Is there any sign of Miss Peregrine and her brother?"

He didn't need an answer. He knew that by the time it took him and the children to destroy the hollow and escape the house from the bomb, Caul would have already been long gone by now. Along with Miss Peregrine. He knew he didn't have the right to be pissed off at Caul for taking the headmistress. The children had far more right than anything he could claim. He hardly knew her more than three days and while he enjoyed his time at the house and with the children, he felt he owed her. While she was reluctant at first Miss Peregrine finally told him everything he needed and wanted to know. And while he couldn't begin to fathom the sibling rivalry the headmistress and her brother had, he promised her he would protect the children. Even if he doubted himself a bit. He owed her that, right?

"He must have taken a boat." Enoch said.

"My boat." Emma replied. "It's gone."

Jake quickly thought over everything he knew. The children were all looking at him for answers. Even Enoch, though Jake figured that was due to him saving the peculiar's life rather than the belief that he knew what to do.

"Than we take our own boat."

* * *

"Emma, what all do you know about Caul?" Jake asked.

They had gotten the sunken ship up and going and were now headed to Blackpool which were only a few hours away. None of them knew how to steer a large ship, but he found they were all doing quite well. Thankfully, because of his grandfather, he was able to navigate the ship to their destination without any trouble.

"Besides that he's Miss Peregrine's brother and created the hollows?"

He nodded, but it was Enoch who responded.

"Not much. Miss Peregrine never talked about him." Emma sighed. "Jake, let's just focused on getting her back. Somehow I don't think this is history we should get involved in."

Jake knew she was right. They defeated the hollow and escaped the house. Miss Peregrine told him everything he _needed_ to know. So why did he have a bad feeling about everything?

He let out a breath, hesitating on whether he should tell Emma about the conversation that took place in the cave. He decided it was best. After all, it might help determine if this rescue mission of theirs was more dangerous than they thought. "Emma, there's something I need to tell you."

* * *

Miss Peregrine wasn't sure how long the boat ride was but before she knew it they were in the Blackpool tower. She must have fallen asleep during the ride. She didn't care. While the fear for her children's safety weighed heavily on her mind, sleeping was easier than watching her brother stare at her. Most likely thinking of numerous ways to torture her for his pleasure.

"Where have you been?" A wight asked. Alma wasn't sure who it was but it sounded like a woman.

Caul stopped in his tracks, glaring at the source of the question. "I'm sorry." He sarcastically apologized. He scoffed and brushed the comment off.

"Let's get on with this. We've waited long enough."

Caul roughly placed his sister's cage next to a larger one filled with all the ymbrynes he had gathered. But he didn't move to place her inside with them.

 _Either my brother has a sadistic favoritism for me, or he wants me to watch._

"My friends, today we become immortal gods." Caul said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"That's what you said last time and look what it did to us. Do you remember what we went through? Why will now be any different."

"Yes, I remember, but today _is_ going to be different."

"How so?"

"I realized during the last experiment that I was missing a certain…element." Caul said. "I've done far more research. Searching deep into the history of the peculiars, and more than that. Immortality, I learned, is not based on time alone. Hence why simply using ymbrynes with the power to manipulate time isn't enough. I have learned that immortality is not for the weak souls."

He raised his hand to cut short any retorts his colleagues were about to have. "Not to say you, my friends, are weak. To live such a long time one must suffer. It's a mental and emotional suffering rather than physical. After all, you're watching everyone you love grow old and die. The ymbrynes probably understand this."

He was right. Alma knew better than most. Emma knew better than most. While she never actually watched Abe grow old, knowing he was out in the real world living a life without her was hard on the young peculiar. And it was hard for Miss Peregrine to watch her beautiful charge suffer. Caul was right. Immortality was not for the weak souls. They was a certain amount of inner strength one needed to survive so long.

"To live in immortality that suffering will be multiplied." Calum continued. "However, I don't wish that suffering on me…or my friends. However…." He squatted down to look his falcon sister in the eye. There was that sickening grin again.

* * *

After Jake recalled his conversation with Caul to Emma, they both came to the same conclusion. Caul wasn't any ordinary man…or peculiar. They were all children and teenagers against wights and hollows, and they might not stand a chance. But it was shocking how three months of therapy gave one insight to how dark someone could really be. Someone who seemed utterly ordinary could actually be crazy and see things like monsters. And while they knew Caul wasn't a sane person, to hear what Jake and the man talked about in the cave had Emma worrying for her headmistress in a whole other way. Now it wasn't just about her physical safety. She knew Miss Peregrine was strong and a fierce warrior, but was there a reason to that? If she wasn't always like that, how did she become the woman they knew today? She recalled when Caul first came to the house. She never took her eyes off the invader of their peaceful life, but she had caught the hesitation when Miss Peregrine called him by his name. Emma heard the crack in her voice. Jake was right. There was something else there. Something far more dark and sinister than any hollow or wight. They knew they needed to find and save Miss Peregrine…before it was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what's your plan?" Enoch asked.

Jake and Emma had been discussing among themselves for about an hour and he was getting impatient. Miss Peregrine was waiting for them and they were taking their time. It pissed him off. So he finally interrupted their chat, but when he saw the look on their eyes, he regretted it. Whatever they were talking about seemed serious and while Miss Peregrine taught him that it was rude to interrupt private conversations, if this was about Miss Peregrine…

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Emma walked up and closed the door behind him, joining Enoch in their private conversation.

"What's going on?" He asked again.

"Jake has something to say."

* * *

Alma was waiting beside the large glass cage of the other ymbryne, still in her own.

"You're going to wait. There are a few things that need to be done first." Caul told her bird form.

He walked out of the room, but thanks to her bird hearing she was able to make out bits of the conversation. He told Mister Clark to take a hollow and ensure the children were killed. He told Miss Anderson and Mister Archer to set up the room. Why did she feel it was meant just for her?

Caul returned and began to fiddle with the machine, checking to make sure everything was set correct.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing." He glanced over to his sister. "No worries. I'll explain more later. Right now I want you to enjoy your last peaceful moments."

Miss Peregrine watched as he moved around the room. All she could think about was her children. If Caul sent wights and hollows out to ensure they were dead, that must meant that he thought they might have survived, right? But why would he think that? Why would he care to ensure they didn't?

She cried out. Hoping he would realized what she was implying. While he couldn't understand her bird language while he was in human form, she was hoping he was clever enough to understand what she meant. She found it comical. Caul was a near genius in every aspect of his life, besides his second nature.

She continued to fly in very short movements in the cage. She hated every bit of it. If he wanted to keep her grounded, he could at least tie one of her feet down, but she begged for him to at least let her fly up a few inches. Of course he didn't understand.

 _Or he doesn't care._

She continued to call out until he had enough and walked over to her, shaking her cage again.

"What?! What do you want? To go?"

She looked at him.

"Of course I'm going to let you go, but only if you survive. You see dear sister, you're very important to my new experiment."

The ymbrynes went crazy. Cawing and chattering. It only upset Caul more.

"Quiet!" He yelled. He left the room.

* * *

" _Caul?" Jake asked, watching in alert at the man who followed him into the loop._

" _Yes. Nice to officially meet you Jake." He smiled with razor-sharp teeth. "I would like to thank you for showing me the loop."_

 _Jake gulped. He felt sick. If he had know he would have never! But he didn't know, and now Miss Peregrine and the children were all in danger. Emma was in danger. He started to run out of the loop but was grabbed by the back of his shirt. A very sharp knife was pressed against his neck._

" _Why are you doing this?" Jake asked. "You already have enough eyes. Why do you need more?"_

 _Caul gave a short chuckled. He was irritated by the boy's stupidity. "You're naive if you think I'm here for the eyes of Miss Peregrine and her children."_

" _You mean your sister."_

 _The knife was pressed closer, nearly cutting his throat._

" _Yes, my sister. That's why I'm here. I personally don't care for the eyes anymore. However that's more than I can say about my traveling companion, who I can say is on his way."_

" _What do you want with Miss Peregrine?"_

 _Jake knew the answer already, but he still wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it. While it was foolish he hoped he could find some way to stop this. But he wasn't that smart. Or brave._

" _Let's just say it's complicated, but I need my sister alive. So you're going to take me to her. Do you understand?"_

 _Jake didn't give any sort of response. He was too scared. And he hoped that if he didn't say anything Caul would let him go so he could warn the others. Of course that was foolish as well._

 _Caul sighed. "If you must know. I do still seek immortality, but after my research I finally discovered the piece I was missing before. Suffering."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _That's why I need my sister alive. And like I said, our history is complicated. I'll leave you and the children alive, but I can't speak for the hollow. Speaking of which, we're wasting time. Now…Miss Peregrine."_

* * *

Jake, Emma, and Enoch all looked at each other. Neither saying a word. They were too scared. Was Caul planning on torturing their headmistress? Their foster mother and to some, their first mother? It made them all sick and Emma felt faint. They knew Miss Peregrine was strong, but for how long?

"We need to get to her before Caul can do anything." Emma said.

"We need a plan." Enoch replied.

They went into the dining area of the sunken ships where the children were playing with the skeletons. Jake wondered if Miss Peregrine would tell them something about respecting the dead. He gathered everyone together and they all devised a plan for once they reach Blackpool. Of course, neither he, Emma, or Enoch told the children the dark gravity of the situation. They were too young, and Miss Peregrine had kept them safe for years from the dark and evil people of the world. He wouldn't invite that into their minds.

* * *

Caul returned. He grabbed Miss Peregrine's cage and took her out of the room with the other ymbrynes, smiling that sadistic smile. He took her into another room in the cellar. There she saw Miss Anderson and Mister Archer standing in the room. In the middle was a hospital cot. The fear she felt when she saw Caul at the front door with Jake as his hostage was nothing compared to the fear she felt now. Now she understood what Caul meant.

He closed the door but didn't lock it. He set back down the cage and looked at her.

"If you try anything I will kill you right here and right now. And that will mess up my experiment and that will make me angry. In which case I will have to kill your children. Do you understand?"

Alma stared at him. She understood. She bobbed her head in an up and down motion. He smiled. Caul opened the door and grabbed her.

"Now, you're going to change back and we're going to get this started."

He let go of her and she flew away. But there was no windows opened and the door was closed. Even if she could open it with her feet by some miracle, the two wights would get to her before she could try. But Caul grabbed her before she tried anything else.

"What did I tell you?!" He yelled. He let out a breath of deep aggravation.

"Can we not do it while she's a bird?" Miss Anderson asked.

"No." Caul said. "She needs to be in human form."

He waited for Alma to get calm. Waited for her to understand the situation she was in. There was no way out. Alma begged for one. But she knew what might happen if she got out. Caul was the type of man that would teach her lesson, and that lesson would be to attack her children. She couldn't have that. No matter how afraid she was at the moment, no matter how long her heart stopped beating from fear, she had to do this. For her children. She always knew she would do anything to protect them. She would give her life to protect them. And her brother already said he didn't want them. He wasn't interested in her children. He wanted her. If it kept him away from her precious and most wonderful charges, she would gladly surrender. He could beat her. He could torture her, which she was sure he was going to do. But she begged, _please dear birds, just don't touch my children._

After a moment she took back her human form and stood in front of Caul, glaring at him with eyes of daggers.

"I see you're cooperating." He said. He pointed to the bed. "It's either you or your children."

"How do you know they're not dead yet?" She whispered.

He leaned forward. "They're your children and I know you. You're too stubborn to die."

Her stomach fell. Her children survived. They both knew that now.

"Please…don't touch my children."

"I won't…if you do what you're told. You're a woman of rules, aren't you?"

She wanted to punch him, but that wasn't very ladylike and she didn't care. She wanted to punch him, to shoot an arrow through him…to kill him. But she wouldn't do anything to him until she saw every one of her children was safe. Safe and alive. Even if that meant…

She made her way to the cot and laid down. Without hesitation the two wights strapped her down and Caul reached for a few instruments. Electric shockers.

"This is going to hurt." He looked down at her.


	4. Chapter 4

"This is going to hurt." Caul looked down at her.

Alma searched for every bit of strength inside her. She tried to focus on the image of her children, on happier times. But their faces were the ones she saw seconds before she closed the door. Tears in their eyes, hate in Enoch's for Caul. She failed them. No matter how she looked at it or what she told herself, she failed them. They lost their perfect home that she spent years protecting. Lost the simple and perfect life she worked hard on providing. It was all gone. Their whole lives were destroyed because of this man, who was now lowering electric shockers to her head.

She tried to brace herself, but nothing could have prepared her for the jolt of electricity that ran through her system, causing her to jerk against the restraints. She screamed. The wights and Caul smiled.

"You're insane." She told her brother.

"How so?" He asked, as if genuinely curious.

"We're not meant to be immortal."

There was a pause. His smile was gone. He looked towards the wights and ordered them to leave. It was time to have a discussion with his sister. The two wights left and Caul looked down at his sister, moving so she had a better view of his face.

"You ymbrynes are. You have immortality where we do not. How is that fair?"

"The loop is meant to protect. Not to live forever."

"And how long have you lived there?" He said, very furious.

When Alma finally caught her breath after the literal shock, she looked at him dead in the eyes. "You hated living in a loop. So why are you doing this?"

Caul sighed. Apparently his sister just wasn't understanding. He delivered another shock. She screamed again.

"Because immortality isn't the same if you don't see the world around you. That's the point. Watching those miserable humans die while you continue to live on, seeing the world for all its changes."

Another shock. Another scream.

* * *

Jake and the children found the loop and entered the year 2016. It was quite a change. One second there was no one at the carnival and next it was busy. Jake wasn't surprised that he and Emma were getting stares. She had giant led shoes on for once. And they couldn't understand why there were footsteps next to them when no one else was. He, Millard, and Emma made their way to the Blackpool tower while the others remained hiding. Once inside the tower they found themselves into what appeared to be a stage of some sort. They saw a couple of wights sitting around, as if waiting.

"How many hollows do you see?" Millard asked. They were hiding above in the balcony.

"Four."

"That's not good at all. Can anyone see Miss Peregrine?"

The boys shook their head, though they couldn't see Millard.

"Caul probably has her in the cellar with the other ymbrynes. That's where Miss Avocet said they set up the machine."

"We need to get down there."

Jake stopped Emma. "Wait, first we have to deal with the hollows. We need to lead them away."

"How do we do that?" Millard asked.

"We get their attention."

* * *

Alma was panting hard on the table. After only three electric jolts she was out of breath. Her body felt hot and everything hurt. How long was Caul planning on doing this? She was certain after so many shocks her brain and body would give out. And then she would be dead. He wanted her alive.

 _Perhaps he has something else in store for me,_ she thought.

Caul waited for his sister to regain some steadiness, but before long Miss Anderson came bursting into the room.

"What?" Caul asked, annoying the wight was interrupting his quality time with his sister.

"The children are here."

Alma froze. No! They couldn't be. She needed them to run but she knew it was useless. But now, her children being where while there were wights, no doubt hollows, and her brother wasn't the worst part. What if they found her like this? She needed to be strong. She needed to be brave. But she wasn't sure she could handle her children seeing her in such a state. She was the protector. If they saw her weak, they would lose hope in her. They would see how much she failed them.

 _Shut up Alma!_ She told herself. Now wasn't the time for pride, but she was definitely a proud woman. Right now she had to focus on her children and pray they tried to remain safe. Pray that Jake would try and keep his promise. She had to try and keep Caul's attention on her. Jake could handle the hollows, but she would be damned if her brother even so much as touched one of her children.

Caul sighed. He watched Miss Peregrine on the table and then looked at the wight. "Get them, but keep them alive."

* * *

Jake was pulling Emma through the air, trying to ignore all the videos and photos they were surely getting from the tourists who had never seen a flying girl. Two wights and the four hollows were after them. People were pushed back by invisible forces as the monsters made their way through the crowd. Once the children made their way back to the loop entrance and Emma was back safe on the ground, Jake shouted out, "Now!"

Miss Peregrine's children shot up from behind their hideout on the top of the Ghost Train sign and began throwing snowballs. He gave a signal to Enoch and soon, the skeletons that were resting in peace on the ship were now stampeding through the carnival, attacking the wights and hollows at Enoch's command. The carnival was mayhem.

* * *

Caul growled. "Your children are insane as you are."

Alma heaved. She tried to speak, tried to breath. But after the female wight left she had received two more shocks. She would rather face a hollow without a crossbow.

Caul sighed, squatting down and leaning in close to Alma's face. He watched her as she tried to grasp some air. "Do you want to know something?"

She tried to shake her head no. She didn't want to her, but if it kept Caul's attention on her she had no choice.

"I _am_ jealous of you. You've always known that. I'm jealous of your abilities. I can turn into a bird as well. Yet I'm not gifted with the power of time."

"All ymbrynes are female." Miss Peregrine repeated what she told Jake earlier that day.

Caul slapped her across the face, taking her breath away again. "Weak women!"

He grabbed the shockers again and placed it on her forehead. Alma braced herself. But nothing came. She opened her eyes which she had kept shut. Hoping to find some comfort against the pain. She looked up at him. She hated that predatory stare.

He chuckled. "Despite the pain you're in and the pleasure I am having torturing you, I must admit one thing."

"What?" She struggled. With each shock it felt the leather restraints were only getting worse.

Caul sighed. "You are beautiful."

Alma screamed. He had set the voltage higher and she began to see stars. But all she could think about was her children.

The children gathered around. The commons were all running for their lives, quite literally, and the group had to decided what to do next. The hollows were all gone and a couple of wights, but Jake knew there were still a couple more left in the tower, plus Caul.

"Alright guys, time for step two."

"Save Miss Peregrine." Bronwyn exclaimed excited.

Jake felt bad for crushing her excitement. "Actually, that's step three. First we need to deal with Caul."

"How do we handle that?"

Enoch, Jake, and Emma all gave each other silent knowing look. They were the only ones who knew just how bad of a situation Miss Peregrine was probably in. They hadn't told Olive, but Jake knew they were too busy to inform her and he guessed that if Emma wanted her to know she would have let the fire peculiar into their conversation earlier. Also, they couldn't tell the children. They realized that when it came to Caul, despite fighting off hollows, the trouble Miss Peregrine was in was most likely in an older rating that even Horace was too young to know about. So they had to save her without worrying the children.

"There are still a few wights left in the tower. You all need to hold them off while Emma and I go find Miss Peregrine."

"And why should you go?"

Jake knew Enoch was right. Miss Peregrine wasn't his headmistress. She was Enoch's and the children. They knew her far more than he did and cared about her far more. Besides, he had also promised her that he would look after the children. He was sure she wouldn't like to hear that he left them to fight wights on their own just to find her. Besides, what could he do? Though he wasn't sure Enoch's peculiarity would do much against Caul either, but he wasn't going to say that.

"I think your peculiarity will do better against the wights." Jake said. It sounded stupid but he wasn't that good with a crossbow. Miss Peregrine wanted him to protect the children. Shouldn't he leave someone who actually could protect them better in charge?

"We can discuss this later." Emma said. "We need to go."


	5. Chapter 5

Jake and the children were headed to the tower when they saw the female and male wight across their path. But when the two saw that the children were not only alive, but killed the hollows and their friends, they turned and headed back to the tower. Jake and the others followed.

"Are they running?" Emma asked him.

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Why now?" Hugh asked. "They're scared. That's a good thing."

Jake sighed. But they didn't know the situation their headmistress might be in. The two remaining wights, next to Caul, could have been running back to him to tell him what happened. Jake and Enoch didn't doubt it. And if the wights got to Miss Peregrine before they did, which Emma feared they would, it didn't bode well for Miss Peregrine.

"Come on." Jake said, rushing the children to the tower.

* * *

Alma's throat had nearly become raw. Once she could barely speak Caul had stopped electrocuting. He gave her a moment to rest and gather back her strength. She wondered if all of this really was just for the sake of the experiment. She doubted it. He loved hurting her and she hated every bit of him for it. But her children were safe, right? That's what mattered.

But then they started hearing commotion outside the room. They couldn't make out what it was or what was even happening, but they could both guess. Caul looked at her and she could swore he looked scared. Just a little. He gabbed something she couldn't see and stuffed it in her mouth, leaving in a rush. She struggled against the restraints, still not able to move. She prayed to the birds above that he wouldn't hurt her children.

* * *

Caul stepped out into the theater to find it a mess. His two wights were battling the children and from the quick looks of it, losing.

"What is going on?" He yelled. Everything stopped.

Suddenly an arrow flew right by him, barely missing him and hitting the wall behind him.

"Where's Miss Peregrine?" Jake shouted across the room.

When he did the children all turned towards Caul, ready to attack him. But as soon as they did, Miss Anderson and Mister Archer freed themselves from the vines Fiona had trapped them in. They grabbed on to Brownyn and Claire, placing a knife to their throat just as Caul had done in the cave to Jake. Enoch, Emma, and Jake looked between the wights and Caul. He laughed.

"Do not think you can win. It will only upset you."

Enoch raised the crossbow Jake had given him. He had a better shot than Abe's grandson, but he cursed Caul for being too far away moments ago. He was still too far for Enoch to hit him directly, but it didn't mean he couldn't threaten the man.

"Where is Miss Peregrine?" He asked.

"What did you do to her?" Emma asked.

Caul sighed. "You're all annoying as your headmistress. Who is perfectly safe with the other ymbrynes. I assure you."

He grinned. Jake hated that grin. He hated the man. "Where are they?"

"Why would I tell you?"

He didn't get the chance to say anything else. Caul was suddenly hit up side the head with a blunt object. Millard. The boy had remained naked and invisible and so it was easy to quickly forget about him. But he didn't mind. He had taken a piece of iron Brownyn had broken off for him and sneaked around behind Caul, hitting him when he had no idea.

"Millard, you're awesome." Jake said.

"Don't mention it."

While they were all relieved to see Caul currently knocked out, they knew it didn't help with the other wights. Jake looked back. They were temporarily shocked and thankfully, the others took it as an advantage. While they continued on with the two wights, Emma and the two boys left into the cellars.

* * *

"Where are they?" Emma asked. "There are lots of doors here."

But Jake and Enoch didn't answer. They had already begun searching each door and quickly found the ymbrynes.

"Miss Peregrine?" They called out to her. The birds cawed and flapped their wings. Emma and Enoch were searching. Since Jake had only seen her once as a bird and that was a quick moment, he couldn't recognize her. You would think that having a dad who watched birds for a living, he would be able to recognize a peregrine falcon. Apparently not.

"Where is she?"

"She's not here." Enoch said. He didn't look very happy and Jake didn't blame him. He didn't feel so good either.

"She has to be here." Emma began crying, more than worried for her headmistress and second mother. She was beyond terrified. She couldn't bear to think of the alternative if Miss Peregrine wasn't with the other ymbrynes.

"We have to think about this." Jake said, trying to keep her calm. "He has this…"

"Obsession?" Enoch answered. Jake nodded.

"Yes. With Miss Peregrine. He said he wanted to hurt her. Maybe he did it-"

"Somewhere where he could be alone." Emma said, realizing what Jake said.

They rushed out into the cellar hallway to find Miss Peregrine, but was quickly stopped. Caul was standing in the hallway.

"But..but how?"

Caul didn't laugh. He was far too angry. He stepped forward, causing the three teens to step back. He slammed the door shut. They were trapped. And Millard wasn't with them to help out without being seen. Emma felt sick. The others.

"What did you do?" She was asking for everyone's sake, even Miss Peregrine.

Caul didn't answer. He stared at them like they were a piece of meat. Finally he spoke.

"I have searched for years, countless years for immortality. A notion my sister always possessed. And yet she insisted on using that time to play house." He sneered.

"It wouldn't have mattered. We were trapped in one day. Time continued to move."

"That's not the point!" He yelled, silencing Emma and the boys. "That's not the point. She has the potential to be someone great, and she squanders it."

"You're wrong!" Enoch yelled. "Miss Peregrine is someone great!"

Caul growled, lunging forward to the boy.

* * *

Alma continued to struggle against the bindings, but apparently her brother didn't want her moving. After a few minutes after Caul left, her hearing was slowly beginning to return. Grant it, it wasn't near her best, but after what her brother had put her through she was surprised she could still hear anything. Hear or see. She managed to spit out the piece of cloth he had shoved into her mouth. She wanted to yell. She wanted to let her children know that she was okay. To let them know where she was so they could save her. But she couldn't. She didn't want them to see her in such a state. She knew eventually they would, unless her brother killed them which she couldn't bare to think of, but even if she tried to yell out she couldn't. Her voice was too raw from the screaming she had done. Suddenly, the door opened. Fear filled her to the brim. She didn't know which would be worse. Her children or Caul. She cursed her pride to eternity. But there was no one there.

"Miss Peregrine?"

 _Millard_!

"Millard?"

He didn't answer. Suddenly the restraints began to move and she could move. Millard helped her sit up. Her body ached.

"Miss P, are you okay? What did he do?!"

"Millard, shh. It's okay." She wasn't even sure if he heard her. She could barely hear herself.

"No it's not!"

"Millard!" She cried out. She didn't want Caul hearing him and coming back. But she knew she had to find him. She tried to get down from the table, actually grateful Millard was there to help her. In fact, he was probably the only one she was okay with seeing her like this. At least then she wouldn't be able to see the disappointment on his face after seeing how she failed him and the others.

She couldn't see him but she could feel Millard holding her up. She chuckled as she thought about scolding him for not wearing any clothes. Perhaps that was a good thing right now.

"Where are the others?" She asked. She was almost afraid to hear the answer, but she needed to know.

"They're safe."

Alma looked at him, or where his face should be. Despite her utter pain, she could still hear the hesitation in his voice. She never had to actually see Millard to know him. Over the years she had developed this peculiar sense about him. She always seemed to know where he was, how he was feeling, or what he sounded like. Even if he didn't meant to.

"Millard…where are they?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Millard?" Alma stared at her child. "What happened? Where are the others?"

The invisible boy didn't say anything for a few seconds. While his headmistress couldn't see, he was too buys looking at her wrist. They were red and sore, most likely from the straps. He was glad she couldn't see him. He was starting to cry. He was always a calm boy. He never really got angry…but now he was. Miss Peregrine always taught them that it wasn't nice to hate people and you should never do it, but right now, seeing Miss Peregrine hurt, he really really hated Caul.

"Millard?" She asked again.

"They're…they're in the theater."

"What happened?"

"I knocked Caul out. Then Emma, Jake, and Enoch went to find you. But then Caul woke up and I followed. I heard that they found the ymbrynes but you weren't there. So I started to look."

Alma's heart was beating to fast. She was certain Millard could hear it. While her ears weren't ringing anymore from the electric shocks, her head was buzzing with questions.

"Caul, where is he now?"

"He's..he's with the others."

"The others? What others, Millard?" Alma hated rushing him, but she was too scared. She was many things right now. And she could hear the cracking in Millard's voice. She hated him seeing her like this and she knew he hated it to. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for him to see her in such a state. She certainly didn't like it. They were never more thankful for his invisibility than they were now. Unfortunately, she feared they would have to talk about everything later. But that was later. Right now, Caul and the others mattered. Her children mattered.

"Millard, did Caul follow Emma, Jake, and Enoch?"

Millard shook his head before he remembered that she couldn't see him. But he didn't answer. She could feel his head nodding yes. He was still holding her up, her arm wrapped around his shoulders. It was all a little awkward. While Miss Peregrine wasn't the tallest woman, he was still much shorter than her and so she was bent in an odd angle. Plus he was naked so they had to keep a certain amount of distance between them.

"There are more wights-"

"It's okay." He quickly told her. "We're handling them."

"What?" She asked, looking confused. But she looked more hurt and in pain than anything else.

"The wights and the hollows. We defeated them." She could hear the smile in his voice. "The hollows are all gone. And the others are dealing with the last two wights. Don't worry. We've got this."

If Alma wasn't already crying, she was now. She couldn't imagine anything of what Millard just told her, but maybe she was still too daze to fully understand. She shook her head. It didn't matter.

"Millard, take me to Caul."

"No!" He cried. "I won't let you! I won't let him hurt you again."

"Millard, this is not a discussion!" She scolded him.

They remained quiet. She was in pain and in no mood to argue, but she knew her charge meant well. Millard always had a bit of a protective streak, though like his invisibility, it was hard to see. She just never imagined it being spread out to her.

"Please." She said. It was a small whisper, but he knew he had no choice. He hated it. He hated leading her to the man that had clearly hurt her, but he wasn't so sure what Emma, Jake, and Enoch could do against Caul. If he had hurt Miss Peregrine this bad, and the marks of her forehead that he assumed were electric shockers didn't go unnoticed by him, how bad could he hurt his siblings and Jake?

"Fine." He hissed. If this was any other day, if Alma hadn't just been tortured and they weren't all fighting for their lives, they would have laughed. It almost felt just like when Miss Peregrine would constantly scold Millard for not wearing clothes. Telling him what polite persons did. It almost felt normal. Almost.

He continued to hold her weight as they made their way into the hallway.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Emma pleaded to Caul. He was standing between them and their freedom. But they were standing between him and the ymbrynes. Emma much preferred that.

"Why? Why what? Search for immortality? Why not?" He laughed. He looked deranged and wild. Jake wasn't sure if he had always looked like that but he simply hadn't noticed, or if Millard's hit to his head had sent him in a mad frenzy.

"Miss Peregrine is your sister." Jake said. "Why would you hurt her?"

Caul growled. "That is none of your business."

"She's our headmistress. Of course it's our business!" Enoch said. He looked the angriest of the three, but certainly not the maddest. No, that was still Caul.

Caul sighed. "Fine, if you must know. I have spent years, countless years, searching for the one piece of information I was missing from my last experiment. Immortality requires suffering. But I certainly weren't going to offer it. So I volunteered Alma."

"You would torture your own sister for immortality?"

Caul sneered at the girl. "There is a history between me and my sister you no nothing about."

Before their conversation could get further, there was a cry outside in the hallway. No, not a cry. A yell. Or rather someone was yelling.

"Caul!"

They all turned towards the doorway. The birds screeched. It was Miss Peregrine and the three children weren't sure if they should be relieved or scared. Relieved to hear that their headmistress was at least alive, but scared because they knew Caul was closest to her. He looked back at the three kids one last time before opening the door and running out. Enoch tried to grab him before he left but the man was too fast. Really fast. While Enoch followed Caul, Jake and Emma worked on freeing the ymbrynes. While they desperately wanted to help Miss Peregrine, and knew she probably needed it, they also knew she would rather them help the birds.

* * *

"Caul!" Alma hollered. She was standing in the cellar hallway, holding a crossbow. Millard had noticed that Enoch had either dropped it or set it down, for some unknown reason, and handed it to Miss Peregrine. After some hesitation, Millard left to help the other children with the wights. But once he got there he had saw that Olive had burnt one of them to a crisp and he was certain Hugh's bees had paralyzed the other. He quickly found his clothes and put them back on, joining his family.

"Where is Miss Peregrine?" Olive asked.

"She's..she's fine." He answered.

The others looked at him, clearly not believing him, but something in his voice told them not to question.

"What about Jake and Emma? And Enoch?"

Millard didn't have time to answer. The three were now running back into the theater.

"What happened? Where is Miss Peregrine?" Brownyn asked.

The three looked at each other. They weren't sure what to say. When they had seen the state Miss Peregrine was in, Enoch was ready to attack Caul, but she spoke to them in a stern voice. One even he wouldn't dare defy, no matter the situation. But they hated it. They hated leaving her alone with her brother. Yet, they knew she would be fine. She told them and despite her condition, her voice, her eyes, her stare….they believed her.

"She told us to head back to the loop entrance. She's going to meet us there."

No one moved. They all looked at each other.

"Like we're going to do that." Fiona said.

So they waited.

* * *

I did not expect the part of Millard and Miss Peregrine to be so long. But I was loving their little moment of bonding, I couldn't resist. It was so beautiful! If not under sad circumstances. So the final showdown between Alma and her brother will be in the next chapter. It might be the whole chapter to. I am thinking after this next chapter, there will be one more. So eight total?


	7. Chapter 7

So I am changing the final battle a bit. I'm adding the children. :) Enjoy!

* * *

Alma was standing in the hallway of the cellar. Caul was on the ground, an arrow through his thigh. When her and Millard left the room where Caul practically tortured her, Millard had handed her a cross bow. The arrow was still in it. She wasn't sure why Jake would leave it behind, but perhaps he hadn't meant to. She didn't try to think about it as she told Millard to leave to the others. She didn't have to tell him twice like she had thought. Her voice was clear enough. It was still sore and she was still tired, but she knew what she had to do. Once Millard left she called out to Caul. Jake, Emma, and Enoch were in the room with the ymbrynes, according to what Millard had said. Calculating what else he had told her, Alma figured that Caul was now in the same room with them. But she couldn't waste time walking over and finding out. As an ymbryne, Miss Peregrine knew very well how important every second was and she wasn't going to waste them. So she called out to her brother, hoping to catch his attention.

"Caul!"

A few seconds ticked by and she feared he hadn't heard her. Millard was out of view the second Caul came out of the room. As soon as he hit her vision, Alma aimed and shot. He fell to the ground, but he didn't shout out in pain as she would have liked. Enoch appeared shortly after her but she shot him a look, telling him to go to the others. Of course he hesitated, glaring at her brother on the ground. Alma was certain that if Enoch didn't leave soon, he would tried and attack Caul, who would in turn attack back. She wouldn't let that happen. She ordered Enoch to leave, along with Emma and Jake shortly after him. Since it took them longer to appear in the hallway, she figured they were freeing the ymbrynes. She was glad to know that, but she needed them to leave.

"Go. Now." She said. She was watching her brother. He remained on the floor, but she knew he wasn't doing so out of fear of her. No. He was mocking her.

"Miss Peregrine-"

"That wasn't a request, Emma. Find the others and head back to the loop."

She hated how weak she sounded due to her voice being so sore, but thankfully the three knew better. They looked at each other before leaving the hallway. But she knew her children well. They wouldn't go to the loop. They wouldn't care about aging forward. But she just prayed to the birds that they would at least stay out of her way.

When the three children left and it was just her and Caul, she suddenly turned to her brother with her fiercest glare. He looked at her and slightly flinched. She smiled.

"You don't have another shot." He smiled back. "That's the problem with crossbows, isn't it?"

"I don't need another shot. You're on the ground."

He started to laugh. "Do you really think an arrow will stop me? When you're at your weakest?"

He grabbed the arrow in his leg and quickly yanked it out. He reacted to the pain, but it was clear to Alma that he hardly felt anything. It was like ripping off a band aid. Again, he was mocking her.

Since the crossbow was no longer useful Alma threw it on the ground. He was right. She didn't have another arrow so what else could she do? Perhaps leaving Emma here, or maybe getting Olive, would have helped her. But this wasn't their fight. It was between her and Caul. Her and her brother. Though after the torture he had put her through, one thing was clear to Alma LeFay Peregrine. Her brother was dead long ago. The man that stood before her was nothing but a wight. A monster. And he had to die. If not for the safety of her children, for the pain he had put her through.

There was just one problem. He was standing between her and the entrance to the theater, where her children were. But to her great relief, he didn't move. He stood there, watching her. Waiting. He didn't care about them. He never did. It was her. And while she wasn't strapped on the table with restraints and electricity charging through her, he had her where he wanted her.

"No doubt all the others are dead." He said, glancing behind him. "Else I would have heard back. Your children are insane, Alma-."

"Do _not_ call me that." She sneered.

"But they are good. I'll give them that. But what exactly are you going to do? We both know you're not strong enough to fight me."

He was right, again, and she cursed him. Alma was always a strong woman. Proud, fierce, a warrior. But physically, Caul was stronger still. Unfortunately, being a wight made him even stronger. He wasn't always like that.

While he did always hold physical strength above her, compare to most men, compare to their other brother Myron, Caul was actually weak. He was skinnier than most mean. Less muscular. And shorter, but that ran in the family. His experiment had given him lots of strength. It was another reason she had not tried to fight him and instead, laid down on the table voluntarily. That, and her children.

"I don't have to be strong. Just clever."

It was a stupid excuse. Currently, there was nothing in the hallway for her to use. Just brick walls and doors and empty space. There was the crossbow, but they already knew that was pointless. Alma took a deep breath. She hated to do it. She refused to do it. But she had no choice. Caul had said something that sparked an idea in her mind, no matter how much she hated it. Her children were good. Millard had said that they defeated the other hollows and wights. And Caul had just mentioned that the other wights were most likely dead as well. According to her calculations, that was all of them. And she already knew that while her children would respect her choice and not interfere in this fight, they wouldn't go back to the loop. In fact, she could hear them. Her hearing was slowly returning and she could hear them in the theater, talking about what to do. They wanted to help. She almost cried. She was just thankfully that Caul did not possess other bird-like qualities other than actually turning into one. She took another breath. She prayed to the ymbrynes and the birds that she would make it.

She quickly spread out her arms and brought them in. As soon as Caul realized what she was doing he repeated the motion. Soon, they were both in their bird forms and chasing each other. As children, Caul would always catch her off guard and pluck her feathers, but she wasn't off guard anymore.

It was extremely painful and she almost wished she hadn't done it, but it was her only choice. Her body was in severe pain from the electric shocks and transforming into a bird did her absolutely no favors. But she was always quick in flight when she had to be and was quickly able to dodge Caul's falcon form and flew towards the theater. As she expected her children were waiting. She called out and they saw her, quickly followed by her brother. They flew around the theater's ceiling in circles. She was doing her best to dodge while he was doing his best to grab her, his talons always ready to claw her to the ground. He had managed to grab her left wing, but she was able to escape. After a few moments of erratic flying Alma knew that there was no way of safely landing. Though turning back into human form would be even far more painful than turning into a bird. At least in her condition. She feared that she would have to crash land, but to her relief, a swarm of bees began to attack Caul, stinging him and giving Alma plenty of airway to fly back down to the ground. She transformed back to a human but quickly fell to the ground. Emma and Enoch rushed to her side. They tried to help her up and saw that it was better for her on the ground. She didn't mind.

Above them Caul was fighting the bees. Unlike Alma, he did crash land onto the floor and Hugh's bees flew back into his body. Caul looked up, only to be faced with the angry looks of twelve children. Each standing fiercely protecting in front of their headmistress. Including little Claire.

He laughed. Though Alma could easily hear the nervousness in his voice. She would have smiled if she wasn't in utter pain.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of a few kids and teenagers?"

"You should be." Fiona smirked. "We killed your hollows and wights. Why won't we kill you?"

Caul's amusement left. He looked rather funny. Hugh's bees had stung him and he nearly looked like the dead wight on the other side of the theater. Red and swollen, but still alive.

"Surely my sister would have taught you that polite persons do not kill."

They all looked back at Alma, still on the ground. She was supporting herself off the floor with her right arm. She looked at her children. They were looking back as if asking for her permission to kill her brother. Yes, on a normal day she would have told them that polite persons didn't kill. But this wasn't a normal day. They had lost everything. Their homes, their security. And she was in pain. And to her great surprise, she didn't mind looking broken down, quite literally, and weak in front of her children. Because they weren't looking at her with shame and pity. Seeing them look at her so protective and ready to defend and fight _for her_ , she was proud. She was so proud of them all that she felt like crying. She _hadn't_ failed them. Instead, she taught them very well. They were a family and they protected each other. That meant her as well. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. The shock of this realization shook her to her core, and she felt stupid for thinking otherwise. She was safe. She was with her children. Her family. But there was still one family member left to deal with.

"We really don't care." Enoch said. "You hurt our mother. You don't think we're going to hurt you?" He said, paraphrasing Fiona's words.

 _Mother_? Alma smiled. She knew she was their foster mother, and second mother to most of her children, but to actually hear them say that? She didn't try and stop the tears forming in her eyes. Mostly because it hurt to move.

Caul stood up. He wasn't that much taller than Enoch. "And what exactly were you planning on doing?" He smiled. He was confident, so sure of himself. Alma smirked. Thinking that it wouldn't be wise to actually tell her children to kill, after they had already done so to hollows and wights, she simply said in a sad voice, "Twins?"

The two boys were standing in the front of the group. Simultaneously, they lifted their cloth covering. They spoke something in their tongue, something no one could understand, but Alma would guess it was something about Caul hurting her. Before her eyes, Caul was turned to stone. And somehow, she didn't mind.

* * *

Oh my goodness! That was awesome! I almost left it at Caul looking up at the twelves angry children, but before I saved it I knew I couldn't leave it there. Mostly because my readers would be mad at me lol I would have probably been mad at myself. This is the second longest chapter of this story, next to the first. Tell me what your favorite part about this chapter was, please. You can tell me your favorite of the story, if you want, but we still have one more chapter so I would probably hold off. My favorite of the chapter? Probably Fiona's comment. It was like, Burn! Hahahaha! This was so much fun to write! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

The children stood there, looking at Caul's stone encased body. While Miss Peregrine knew her brother was dead, he didn't look like. It was simply as if he was forever encased by stone, still alive. His eternal punishment. She was crying, but not for the lost of her brother. No, he was dead long ago to her. And while she felt a little guilty thinking he was being punished only for what he did to her, she knew that wasn't the case. This punishment, his dead, was for everyone he had ever hurt. The ymbryne he first killed for his experiment and all the Peculiars he hunted and killed after becoming the hollow monster he was. For threatening her children, and yes, for torturing her. As an ymbryne it was her duty to protect children, but she knew she deserved the satisfaction of watching the man before turn to stone.

She tried to stand up, quickly forgetting about her pain, but the shock in her left arm reminded her to stay on the ground. She still hated to be weak, but it seemed her children didn't care. Only that she was alive.

"Miss Peregrine!" They shouted. They all rushed over to her. But Emma quickly told them not to touch her, that she was in pain. The children stopped where they were, except Millard. Fully clothed again he ignored Emma and bent down, wrapping his arms that no one could see around the wounded bird-woman. Alma smiled, a tear gliding down her cheek, and let him hug her. She would have gladly hugged back, but she was using her only good arm to support her. Enoch opened his mouth, most likely to yell at Millard for not giving her the space she needed, but he quickly shut it. A glance between him, Emma, and Jake told them that it was Millard who found her. They already knew that Caul would possibly torture their headmistress, but they still didn't know exactly what he did. But it seemed Millard had a good idea. So they let the invisible boy hug Miss Peregrine. And somehow, in that moment, they could all see him crying, even if they couldn't hear him. Millard released the hug and stood back. The children carefully helped Miss Peregrine up. Thankfully she was getting her strength back so she didn't have to lean on anyone for support.

"Miss Peregrine, are you alright?" Brownyn asked.

Alma looked at each of her children. They were all looking at her with sad eyes. But she could tell that they weren't pity. They were scared for her. They needed her. So Alma ignored the pain she was in and smiled.

"Don't worry children. I'll be perfectly fine."

She looked behind them at her brother. When the twins lifted their masks, he had simply stood there. It wasn't until he noticed what was wrong that he tried to shield himself from their looks. But it was already too late. So now he was frozen there in stone, his arms across his face forever.

"What do we do about him?" Olive asked.

"If he wasn't dead already I would punch him."

"Enoch." Emma whispered.

Alma sighed. "It's no worries." She said. She was right. It wasn't any worries. He was gone along with all of his hollows. They were all now safe. But she wouldn't deny the ache she felt in her heart. That man wasn't her brother anymore. For years he was nothing but a monster and she didn't mourn his death. But he wasn't always like that. She took a deep breath, reminding herself where she was.

"Children, it's time we head back to the loop."

They all looked at her. It was a miracle no one had aged any years yet, but she wasn't going to take any chances. They knew that once the process started, it would almost impossible stop and would only speed up.

"Are you going to be okay?" Fiona asked.

Alma smiled. Yes. She would be okay. She was safe and alive, and so were her children. Why wouldn't she be okay?

"What did you do?"

"Enoch!" Emma scolded again, louder this time.

No one answered or repeated the question. They could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. And Millard's silent behavior only proved it. They started to head outside when they heard a crackling behind him. They all turned around, the fear that somehow Caul was escaping. When they looked the stone was indeed cracking, but before anyone could ask why or stop it, the stone body crumbled and fell to the ground. It was now a pile of stone and debris. They slowly looked back at Miss Peregrine. While none of the children really cared what had just happened to Caul, they knew that he was still her brother. Alma stared at the pile for a moment before looking at each of her children. They were waiting to hear what to do. She almost laughed.

"We'll leave him for someone else."

The children laughed, even if the whole situation wasn't so funny. The group left the theater, the children surrounding Miss Peregrine with the twins walking on both sides of her. Back on the ship they began to tell her how they got the ship up and going and she smiled. She couldn't have ever been more proud. Jake and Emma looked over his grandfather's Map of Days, trying to find a new loop, but Miss Peregrine didn't think it was necessary. While they all had to live back in 1943 as to not age, with no more hollows and wights, they had no need to hide. All that was left was to find a new home. And they did. Three weeks later.

* * *

I'll be honest. I started to cry when I wrote Millard was crying while hugging Miss Peregrine. It just got to me. Alright, you probably noticed that this chapter was the shortest and the ending, a little odd? Fear not. :) Epilogue! Tomorrow :)


	9. Epilogue

Okay, so this epilogue is going to deal with what Alma went through. It might not start out to happy, but it will get there.

* * *

After three weeks of living on a sunken ship and two more weeks of adjusting to their new home and Jake adjusting to actually living in the year 1943 rather than visiting, Alma and the children had finally come to a constant routine in their new home. The house they had found and managed to convince the locals to allow them them to have was a lot bigger. It gave everyone their own room, except the twins of course, and plenty of room to run around inside as well as out. Fiona had easily planted flowers and gardens around the land and inside the house, giving it the same charm their old home possessed. But perhaps that was where the similarities ended. Since they were no longer living in a loop they did not have to repeat the same actions every day. Emma did not have to put the squirrel back in the tree. Fiona and Brownyn did not have to grow a large carrot and take it into the house. And while Miss Peregrine continued to have them go on a daily walk, thankfully with Jake for protection if ever they needed it, they did not have to for reasons they did before.

So everyday at four, instead of walking out to the same cliff to the same spot to kill the same hollow, Miss Peregrine spent that time in her room. And this wasn't the only change the children noticed. At dinner, Alma did not always hold a cheery disposition as she once had. But no one blamed her. At times, Jake, Emma, and Enoch would find her crying. Of course she covered it up quickly enough for them to not ask any questions, but they knew. All the children knew. It wasn't just their new home and lives that were changed, it was their headmistress. All because of the bad man as the little ones put it.

They actually started to miss Alma's strict rules. She had become far more lenient on what the children could or could not do. Alma told herself that it was because she wanted them to have the freedom they did not have in the loop. No one knew what each day would bring and Jake was there to protect them if anything were to happen. So in a way, anything was free to do. So long as her children were safe and nothing bad happened. But it wouldn't. She had to constantly remind herself. The hollows were gone and they were finally safe. Perhaps more so than before. But she certainly didn't feel like it. So instead of pushing her anxiety onto her children and tightening the rules, she let them do as they wished. Unlike her children, she didn't know what that was doing to her.

But they could see it. Her eyes were darker due to the lack of sleep. Everyday another ever so small strand of hair would lose itself from its keep. And no one missed the small reactions when someone turned on the lights. The worse reaction was one night at dinner. They were enjoying their dinner peacefully when the light bulb above burnt out. No one was expecting it but they knew things like that just happened. It happened in their old home as well, before the loop thankfully. Else they would have had to fix the light bulb every single day.

They were all eating their dinner, talking among themselves when it happened. The light bulb made a small pop and they could quick sparks of electricity. They all looked up, except for Alma. She had gotten up from the table as quick as possible and left the room, doing her hardest to look as proper as always. The children watched after her, no one saying a word for seconds. They all debated on what to do. They tried to figure out who should talk to her. No one knew exactly what Caul had done to their headmistress, but the little ones knew it wasn't good. The big ones knew it was torture. But they didn't know what kind. Except Millard. While everyone talked among themselves deciding what to do, Millard had stood up and left the room. Everyone remained quiet. Millard knew what Miss Peregrine had gone through, but he never told them. No matter how much Emma and Enoch insisted. So they left the invisible boy to talk to their beloved mother and headmistress.

* * *

Millard walked through the hallways of their new home. It's only been a few months but already it was feeling like home. But that wasn't what he was thinking of as he searched for his headmistress.

"Miss Peregrine?" He called out, hoping he wouldn't startle her. He thought about where he would find her and figured the best place was in her room. He hesitated. No one ever went into her room, even back at their old home. Miss Peregrine had forbid it. But if any one of the children was a rebel, it was Millard.

He headed up the stairs and quietly knocked on her door. She didn't answer. He turned the handle and thanked the birds it was open. He quietly made his way and saw Miss Peregrine lying on her bed, crying.

"Miss Peregrine?"

She jolted up, startled by the sound. "Millard? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He said in a whisper. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but that littled compared to him being afraid of scaring her away.

"I'm perfectly well, Millard."

"No you're not."

Alma didn't respond. She smirked. Millard was the rebel of the household, always challenging her rules. But he was also the most blunt and obvious. Perhaps it had to do with him being invisible. Since no one could see him, he wanted to make himself known in one way or another.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

There was silence. She started to hate herself. She hated how she left the table. It was a stupid light bulb. She had faced invisible monsters, and non invisible, without even looking afraid. But she ran away because a light bulb got too heated and broke. Alma contemplated on telling Millard to return to dinner with the others but they both knew it was pointless. He already knew more than the others. He knew what she was going through because he had seen the result of what she went through. But he wouldn't tell her that he still couldn't get the imagine of her being strapped to the table out of his mind. That wasn't something she should worry about.

"It's okay." He said. "It's okay to be afraid."

"I am not afraid." Alma stated. She was surprised with now confident she sounded. Now if only she could feel that way.

But Millard didn't say anything. He made his way to the bed. Since the family restarted their lives, Alma never had to tell him to put on clothes. He just did it. She watched the floating clothes make their way to her and wrap the sleeves around her. She could feel the warmth of Millard's body as he hugged her.

"And you're not alone."

Alma blinked. Either Millard had suddenly became a girl, or they weren't alone. She looked towards the doorway and sure enough, there were all of her children, including Jake, standing in her room. It was Emma who had said it. A small part of her was ready to question them why they were in her room when she had forbid it, but it was drowned out by the beating of her heart. She couldn't stop the crying. The little ones ran up and jumped onto her bed. Millard joined them. Suddenly she was surrounded by hugs and smiles. Suddenly, she didn't feel so bad. Emma hugged her, as did Enoch, Jake, and Olive. Alma smiled.

"You don't have to tell us." Emma said. "But you're not going to be alone."

"We're here for you Miss Peregrine. Even if you get scared because of a light bulb." Claire added.

"Claire!" Fiona said, trying to scold the little girl, but Alma didn't mind. She was a little child and certainly had the mind of one. She wouldn't understand why her headmistress got scared of a lightbulb, but Alma didn't mind. Emma was right. She didn't have to tell her children what happened, as long as she knew she was safe. Her children were safe. They were alive. So if she ran from a lightbulb, so be it. If that was the price of her children being by her side, so be it. She looked at each one of them. The little ones were on the bed lying next to her. Millard to her right and the twins to her left. Emma and the others sat on the edge. Alma knew what they were doing. They were waiting, just as they had for years. Except this time it wasn't for the loop to close and their lives to begin anew again. They were waiting for their headmistress, giving her the patience she had given them for years. Either she was a very lucky ymbryne, or she taught them well. Alma smiled.

"Children, I think our food is getting cold. Why don't we go back?"

They all smiled, heading back to the dinner table. She gave a quick smile to Emma. A silent thank you for understanding. A thank you for all the children. Millard walked beside her as they headed back to the dining room. She was done running from light bulbs. She was done worrying about her children, or herself. While she always knew her children needed her, she now knew that it was okay for her to need her children. So they finished their dinner and before Alma realized, there lives was just the same as before. But tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Thank you all for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I truly can't thank you enough. I am so glad you have joined me in this story and so glad you all enjoyed it. I hope the ending was to your liking and that it suited the story well. I felt it was normal for Miss Peregrine to have PTSD after being tortured, but I also felt it was right to have her children help heal her just by being there for her. I think she has truly grown in this story. Again, thank you for everything! I hope to write another story for Miss Peregrine, but hoping it will revolve around her and the children rather than her and Caul. I could use something a little more...happy? lol I really like the connection in this story of Millard and Miss Peregrine. I think it worked well. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I have truly enjoyed it! I have also learned a few things writing this and hope to continue that in each story. :)

Special shout out to these reviewers:

plengpoonyapa , Gene Marie 85 , Ceil, LairaPocus , and Soup42222. Again, thanks for being awesome!


End file.
